


Until The Pages Blur

by plinys



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 01:25:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2754362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/pseuds/plinys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A late night academy era study session.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until The Pages Blur

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miss_Von_Cheese](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Von_Cheese/gifts).



He’s supposed to be studying for his History Of SHIELD final, though his studying hasn’t progressed very far at all.

Felix had frowned at him for like ten minutes, insisting that they could go to the library and study together, but Phil knew better than to go to the library. The last time he had made that mistake he had ended up falling asleep at one of the desks, sleeping through his alarm, and having to literally beg his interrogations instructor to give him another chance.  

Joining SHIELD was supposed to have been fun, not this painful study until you drop nonsense, he was supposed to be fighting the good fight (like Captain America had), nobody had mentioned the four years (if you were lucky) of the academy that they had to struggle through before the _fun_ could begin.

He stares at his textbook for a little bit longer, willing the words to suddenly make sense with no avail, if anything he’s pretty sure that they are currently rearranging themselves to make absolutely no sense.

There’s a knock at his door and even though it’s distracting he is thankful for the temporary break for this hell.

It’s probably Felix having forgotten his room key again, and Phil’s got the words on the edge of his lips, ready to tease the other guy for his mistaken, when he actually opens up the door and is greeted with the sight of somebody who is definitely not his roommate.

He’s pretty sure he’s seen her around in the hallway before.

Actually, he’s pretty sure he nearly walked into her the first week, got cussed out in what was probably Chinese, before being briskly ignored, then spent the evening recounting the incident to his new roommate, while trying to be annoyed with the woman that he ended up describing as a ‘tiny angry angel.’

But claiming that he’s _seen her around_ sounds much nicer in his head than the truth.

“Uh, hey?”

“Hello,” she replies, “are you studying for Professor Shilo’s class?”

He hesitates for a moment, because yes he is, and yes he’s noticed that she’s in his class, but either this woman has psychic abilities or some other agenda because she’s still standing there staring up at him with this expectant look, “yes?”

“Can I study with you?”

Which okay seeing as she asked the question, he was kind of expecting that, but that doesn’t mean that he was prepared with an answer just yet.

Asking, “why,” seems rude, but the words still come out of his mouth anyways.

She grimaces at, and really it’s a beautiful look, not that he’s an expert on faces, but he’s certain that nobody else can look as wonderful with a grimace as this woman does.

On second thought, maybe that’s just proof that all of this studying has literally fried his brain.

“My roommate apparently decided that a finals week hook up is the best way to beat the stress,” she explains, “sadly my books are on the other side of that door and unless I want to see more of her than I need to see-“

“Best to stay out of the way,” he finishes for her.

“Exactly.”

“Wait, you’re roommates with Victoria Hand, right?”

She nods once, and okay that explains just about everything.

He steps back from the door at that and gestures her inside.

“Yeah, you better just come in, otherwise who knows how long that’ll be,” Phil jokes.

“Three hours and twenty-four minutes,” she replies in a deadpan tone.

“What?”

“That’s how long it was last time,” she elaborates, her face stone cold and closed off and Phil actually believes her, until the resolve breaks and a smile finds its way across her features. If he had thought she was beautiful that day she was angry at him, it was nothing compared to how beautiful she was smiling at him with a hint of mirth in her upturned lips, “I’m kidding.”

“Thank god,” Phil replies, no doubt smiling like a fool as well now, because there’s something about this woman’s smile that is infectious.

“Last time was about an hour,” she shrugs, “fun fact.”

“Fun fact,” he echoes, “you know, it’s kind of weird.”

“What’s kind of weird?”

“I know more about your roommate’s sexual habits than I do you,” he explains, “I mean, I don’t even know your name-

“Melinda.”

“Huh?”

“My name’s Melinda, Melinda May.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m Phil-“

“I know?”

“You know?”

She rolls her eyes, as if her knowing his name should have been a universally known fact, then again he was attending an academy for wannabe spies so perhaps he should have expected as much. Maybe he was more out of his depth than he had thought.

“I knocked on your door,” she explains, and when he still looks confused she just gives tis little snort of laughter that is weirdly charming and says, “your name is on your dorm room door.”

How had he forgotten about that?

“Oh yeah it is.”

“Oh yeah it is,” she parrots back huffing under her breath, “you know maybe it’s a good thing I’m here to study with you, because _clearly_ you need all the help you can get.”

This time it’s his chance to roll his eyes.

“Luckily I’m kind and gracious and in need of somebody with the textbooks on hand,” Melinda continues, settling down onto his bed like she owns the place and leafing through his notes with a little grimace, “You’ll just have to owe me one.”

“I’m not sure that’s how this works,” he says, but he settles down on the couch opposite her, and tries to put his notes into some semblance of an order under her scrutinizing gaze.

“It is.”

“I guess I’ll just have to owe you one then,” Phil muses for a moment, “any chance you want to go out and get coffee sometime-“

“No, I hate coffee.”

“Okay?”

“Nothing personal,” she says looking up at him for a moment, “but coffee sucks, almost as much as your practically illegible notes do.”

“Hey!”

 

 

 


End file.
